Airborne 12.09.16

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Airborne 12.09.16

Organization Says New EMJ Audit Standard Not Necessary

The air charter industry was recently thrust into a state of
audit confusion with the announcement by Executive Jet Management
(EJM) that their charter support vendors will now undergo an
additional audit with a new audit standard.

The industry confusion stems from the fact that EJM and Net Jets
are one of the largest financial supporters of the Air Charter
Safety Foundation (ACSF) and strongly support its goals. EJM, a
well-known aircraft management company and subsidiary of and
supplier to NetJets, worked closely with many leaders from the
charter industry for more than three years in an effort to create
and refine one standard by which all could be measured.

This industry group effort was successful, and the standard that
was collaboratively developed has become known as the Air Charter
Safety Foundation Industry Audit Standard (IAS). This standard puts
registered charter operators on par with the leading scheduled
airlines of the world that code share, since they use a similar
standard. After its creation, the IAS was used by EJM for almost
two years and, in fact, suppliers were told that they were expected
to meet the standard over the next few years. Nearly 30 charter
operators have achieved the IAS registration.

"The ACSF is reaching out to all independent auditors to get
back to the proverbial roundtable and figure out how to establish
and agree to one safety standard. We owe it to the charter
community. But most of all, we owe it to the chartering public who
have the right to know to what standard their charter provider is
adhering," said ACSF President Bryan Burns in a statement. "There
is no question that comprehensive third-party auditing of air
charter companies is a good idea. Remember, the FAA regulates to a
minimum standard. The question is, what standard will show
consumers that some operators have invested in and obtained a
higher standard thereby reducing risk?

"The reality now is that some charter operators are faced with
10 to 15 audits per year, all of which have different undisclosed
standards. Some operators literally have to re-write manuals from
one week to the next in order to appease these different standards.
Obviously, this is an industry in chaos. The ultimate downside of
this confusion is a reduction in safety, and not one that the
industry can risk. This situation should not be allowed to
continue. And yes, looming over the horizon will be yet another
standard when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determines
what their Safety Management System requirements are going to be.
It is not a rosy picture for the air charter industry, charter
customers, safety in general and, ultimately, the national air
transportation system.

"The FAA sets the minimum standard for both scheduled and
on-demand air carriers," the statement continues. "With the
development of best practices, quality management systems and now
safety management systems, there are ways to reduce risk
continually. The scheduled air carriers of the world recognized
this and developed a way to measure one's ability to achieve a
world-class status. The FAA recognized this and allowed this
standard to be used to meet the requirements established in the
code share rules. So, what is the issue in the on-demand charter
market? Are there too few operators able to reach this world-class
level? Will we have to settle for some lower standard so more can
get on the registry? Or, will the industry pull itself out of the
old paradigm of mutable un-disclosed standards?

"Charter operators are now faced with a dilemma: Do I pick an
easy unpublished standard, or do I put my head down, push my
organization across the finish line, and join the rest of the
world-class operators that are measured by one industry standard
that is published for the world to see? The ACSF created one
world-class standard that did not compete with anyone in the
business but was designed by leading charter operators and audit
companies to promote and enhance safety throughout the entire
industry. It is time we establish and agree to one standard and
make it stick."